Perceptions of corruption

The poorest countries tend also to be the most corrupt, according to Transparency International. Its annual Corruption Perceptions Index is compiled from surveys of businessmen and country experts. This year's report brackets together New Zealand, Denmark and Finland as the least corrupt countries. Somalia and Myanmar suffer from the most corruption, defined as the abuse of public office for private gain. Conflict-ridden countries like Afghanistan, Iraq and Sudan also languish towards the bottom. Several African countries, including Namibia, the Seychelles, South Africa and Swaziland, improved their scores in the latest survey. But corruption is felt to have worsened in Austria, Bahrain, Jordan and Thailand.